Steve King

THC driving bill up for final reading, activist fears passage after previous failed attempts

Yesterday, most of the drama at the State Capitol involved an Amendment 64 repeal proposal that fell short. But while that was happening, a THC driving standard proposal that had apparently been killed by a Senate committee last month not only rose from the dead but passed two readings. It's headed ... More >>

DUI treatment: Bill attempting to separate treatment from probation supervision fails

A bill that would bar Colorado private probation companies from also providing chemical dependency treatment to an individual client has failed for the second year in a row. The question at the center of our cover story, "Blow Back," was whether providing both services was a conflict of interest. L ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill fails for third year -- but will it rise from the dead again?

Earlier this month, the latest version of a THC driving bill that had failed the past two years seemed to be on a steady march to passage despite e-mail protests and petitions. But no: Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to squash the measure again. Why? One advocate believes the l ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill reaches senate committee next week -- right after 4/20

The current incarnation of Colorado House Bill 1114, the THC driving bill gained House approval earlier this month and is headed for the Senate Judiciary Committee next Monday, April 22, after the 4/20 weekend. Given that timing, several activists -- including Cannabis University founder Michelle L ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill breezes through first House vote despite e-mail protests, petition

In a Monday interview with Representative Rhonda Fields, co-sponsor of the latest THC driving bill, we noted that the measure, which is similar to ones that failed the past two years, seemed on a steady march to passage this time around -- and that continues to be the case. The measure passed its f ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill recommended by A64 task force "95 percent bad," attorney says

As our Melanie Asmar reported, the Amendment 64 Task Force backed passage of a marijuana DUI bill during a meeting earlier this month. The current legislation tweaks a version that's failed each of the past two years, incorporating a suggestion that marijuana attorney Rob Corry floated last year. Do ... More >>

THC driving bill, take three: Read draft language of proposed 2013 legislation

For the third year in a row, state lawmakers will be pushing for an official marijuana DUI limit, to curb what they say is an epidemic of stoned drivers that will only get worse with the passage of Amendment 64. Senator Steve King, a Western Slope Republican, is again sponsoring the legislation, whi ... More >>

William Breathes looks back on three years as the country's first pot critic

THC driving bill back on the table for 2013 legislative session

For the third year in a row, the Colorado legislature will likely consider a THC driving bill . Late last week, Senator Steve King, a Mesa County Republican, announced that he would sponsor a proposal in the 2013 session to set a per-se limit for how much THC can be in a driver's system before he's ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Industry Group promotes new THC driving bill

Today, the Colorado General Assembly will meet in a special session called by Governor John Hickenlooper. The guv wants lawmakers to address issues left in limbo at the end of the regular term, including civil unions and a controversial THC driving bill that members of the Medical Marijuana Industry ... More >>

THC driving bill killed in plot that snuffed out civil unions measure

Last night, as One Colorado's Jace Woodrum noted during a talk with supporters, GOP leaders in the House sacrificed dozens of other measures in order to kill a civil unions bill. Prominent among them was the controversial THC driving bill, a version of which died last year. The result was a stunning ... More >>

Civil unions stalemate: Fallout affects small businesses, poor, others

The Republican House leadership's successful effort to block passage of a civil unions bill yesterday, orchestrated by Speaker Frank McNulty, could well have aftershocks stretching to the fall elections. And lawmakers who opted for inaction may be facing much more than the wrath of liberals and acti ... More >>

Marijuana: Three cannabis-related bills still alive with one day left for General Assembly

With the Colorado General Assembly's regular session slated to end tomorrow, three marijuana related bills are still floating around with the possibility of passing. Below, we've put together a quick update about each piece of legislation and its status.

THC driving bill's passage prompts nationwide NORML action alert

Yesterday afternoon, the Colorado Senate approved Senator Steve King's THC driving bill by an 18-17 vote thanks to the support of Senator Nancy Spence, who'd recommended additional study for a similar measure that fell short of passage last year. Now, the proposal is headed to the Colorado House, an ... More >>

Medical marijuana registry-fund bill, industrial-hemp proposal take next steps

Even as Senator Steve King's proposed THC DUI bill is being debated this afternoonpassed through to the state House, two other state legislators are making one last push for their separate marijuana-related proposals with a little more than a week left before Colorado's General Assembly adjourns. ... More >>

THC driving bill approved by Colorado Senate

In January, Senator Morgan Carroll told us she feared Senator Steve King's reboot of the THC driving bill would be difficult to kill due to a clever maneuver that avoided her committee -- and the tricks didn't stop there. The measure appeared to die on the Senate floor a short time ago, but it was c ... More >>

THC driving: Schedule I and II drugs out, bill again focused entirely on pot

Senator Steve King's proposed THC driving bill is headed to the state senate floor, probably tomorrow. To clear its path, language that would have established a zero tolerance policy for all Schedule I and II drugs was stripped out Friday. As such, the proposal is very similar to one shelved in 2011 ... More >>

Marijuana: Englewood MMCs not serving minors, but many bars, restaurants did

U.S. Attorney John Walsh says his seizure-threat letters to medical marijuana dispensaries near schools are intended to protect kids. But in Englewood, it appears that minors are much more likely to get illegal intoxicants from bars, restaurants and liquor stores than MMCs.

Columbine-era zero tolerance rules: Bill to end them faces challenges

Last September, we told you about a movement to end school zero-tolerance policies enacted after the 1999 Columbine massacre. These efforts led to Senate Bill 46, which passed its first committee test last week. But its narrow margin of victory leaves sponsoring Senator Evie Hudak worried that some ... More >>

THC-limit bill could ban many seniors and veterans from driving, activist says

On Monday, a Senate committee passed a THC-driving limits bill that's broader than one that fell short last year. As Senator Morgan Carroll noted here yesterday, the proposal establishes zero tolerance for any Schedule I or Schedule II drugs, including many prescription medications. Cannabis activis ... More >>

THC driving bill: Schedule I and II drug additions broaden rejected measure

Last April, as we've reported, a bill to set THC driving limits was put on hold by a senate committee -- and a DUID-marijuana working group charged with reconsidering the issue deadlocked over the question of per se standards. Nonetheless, Senator Steve King is sponsoring a new version of the bill, ... More >>

Photos: THC driving limits bill approved by Senate committee

In a marathon hearing that stretched from the early afternoon until the late evening, a bill to establish THC driving standards was approved by a Senate committee yesterday in a 4-1 vote. The measure, sponsored by Senator Steve King, right, would set five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood as ... More >>

THC driving bill: Marijuana lawyer Rob Corry suggests a compromise

​This afternoon, Senator Steve King's revival of a THC-driving-limits bill will be the focus of a hearing at the State Capitol. In advance of the debate, attorney Rob Corry has released a letter, on view below, in which he argues against the measure. However, he also floats a compromise idea t ... More >>

Reader: THC driving bill is like being busted tomorrow for a beer you drank today

William Breathes's post about the upcoming debate about the resurrected THC driving bill inspired plenty of cyber-conversation about Senator Steve King's proposal. Here's one reader's attempt to demonstrate the differences between measuring alcohol and marijuana impairment.

Marijuana advocates prepare to fight THC driving bill

Steve King.​Senator Steve King's proposed THC driving bill, which would set an intoxication standard of five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood for medical marijuana patients and a zero-tolerance level for non-patients, is up for discussion on Monday. And opponents are gearing up for a ... More >>

Red-light-camera bill dies: Senator still doubts devices make intersections safer

Last month, we spoke with Senator Scott Renfroe, sponsor of Senate Bill 50, which would have banned red-light cameras at intersections, as well as the use of photos for issuing tickets. However, the measure failed to get out of the Senate's transportation committee, despite what Renfroe thought was ... More >>

Jenna Breen and Tim Albo hit-and-run updates: Preliminary hearing, new legislation

We've been following a pair of tragic hit-and-run cases -- the January death of Jenna Breen and the horrific injuries inflicted on Tim Albo in 2010. There are new developments in both stories, including a hearing for the man accused of killing Breen and Albo-inspired legislation intended to give dru ... More >>

THC driving bill may be hard to kill despite iffy science, senator says

Last April, a bill to set THC driving standards was put on hold by a senate committee -- and a DUID-marijuana working group charged with reconsidering the issue deadlocked over the question of per se standards. But now, Representative Steve King has spoken publicly about resurrecting the measure, an ... More >>

Public Utilities Commission, embroiled in taxi controversies, faces state audit

​Folks who have tried to start taxi companies in Denver -- an industry long fraught with controversy -- often butt heads with the Public Utilities Commission, the body charged with regulating cabs. Lately, PUC officials seem to swing back and forth as to whether the city needs more taxis, and ... More >>

THC driving limits bill killed by Senate in "huge victory for patients nationwide"

​Senator Morgan Carroll saw the passage of HB 1261, a bill to set THC driving standards, as inevitable despite evidence like medical marijuana critic William Breathes's blood test showing he was nearly triple the proposed 5 nanogram per milliliter of blood standard even when sober. Nonetheless ... More >>

"Stoner" misspelling honors "Westworld"

Senate Bill 241: Is Colorado ready to fix parole's revolving door?

​Over the years, we've written frequently about the breakdowns in Colorado's parole system -- how heaping mandatory parole on top of prison sentences and making ill-prepared felons jump through multiple hoops drives up prison costs. Now there finally seems to be some serious efforts among lawm ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Rep. Claire Levy talks about HB 1261, which sets driving limits for THC

Claire Levy.​Last December, Representative Claire Levy floated the idea of a bill setting a marijuana-impairment standard for Colorado drivers. This notion has coalesced into HB 1261, which establishes an impairment limit of 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood; read it below. Levy's al ... More >>

Return to Sender

What would comprehensive immigration reform look like if the Feds got off their duffs?

Cory Gardner is used to getting the horns. After all, he messed with the ram while at CSU

Cory Gardner campaign downplays Steve King stop, event cancellation over race comments

"Let's change the subject."​Rep. Steve King appeared at a 9.12 Project event over the weekend -- but not at a planned fundraiser for Cory Gardner, who canceled after King played the race card in comments about Barack Obama. What's Gardner's campaign got to say about the accusations of politica ... More >>

Steve King: State rep says ethics questions come down to car trouble

Steve King just needed to get from here to there.​On January 13, Colorado Ethics Watch, which recently shared its list of the top five ethics scandals of 2009, made a bid to kick off its 2010 roster. The organization filed a complaint against Representative Steve King to determine if money he ... More >>

Denver Blogs: Are the Broncos already preparing for life without Brandon Marshall?

"How can you miss me when I'm still here?"​Local blogging that will open your eyes. Mile High Report's John Bena shares Mel Kiper's prediction about the Broncos' first-round draft pick this year: Dez Bryant, a big-play receiver from Oklahoma State -- presumably a replacement for Brandon Marsh ... More >>

Momentum keeps building for Josh Penry

Josh Penry.​"Time For Josh Penry to Make His Move in Republican Guv-Nomination Race," a blog published about this time yesterday, noted that Penry seems to be filling the GOP vacuum that his principal rival, Scott McInnis, has left gaping thus far. The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza apparent ... More >>

Shmucks of the Week: Brophy and King

It's coming up on the ten-year anniversary of the Columbine High School murders -- so what better time to introduce a bill in the state legislature that would ease a restriction on certain people who want to buy firearms? The bill, pushed by Republican senator Greg Brophy of Wray (pictured) and R ... More >>

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